Steering-wheel.



H. S. MORGAN.

STEERING WHEEL.

APPLlcATloN man AuGJ, |914.

Patented Ma1u27, 1917.

MAM/ w4;ZATT()len/5547* HENRY S. MORGAN, TRENTON, `NE`W JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FOUVAILSMITH COR- PORTION, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, ANEWT YORK, "A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

medew.

lSpeciication of Letters Patent.

vApplication led August 7, 1914. Serial No. 855,596.

To all whom z'tgmay concern: l

Be it known that LHENRY S. MORGAN, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of'Trenton, Mercer county, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Steering-Wheels, of Wliichthe following description, inV connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,'like letters.' on. the",drawings representing, like i' Figure 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel with the exterior covering partly removed;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and l Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a modified arrangement of filler strips.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the rim frame of a steering Wheel, which. further comprises spider arms 2 and a collar 3 adapted to be connected with a steering post Ll. The rim frame referred to is ordip narily made of metal, preferably aluminum to minimize its weight, and may form the -base of the improved steering wheel rim which is shaped to fit the hand conveniently for operation. To produce a shape and bulk suitable for this purpose, at the same time retaining the necessary strength and lightness, I build up the said rim by means of filler which may conveniently be utilizedin the shape of strips 5 applied as a layer on each side of the rim frame and fastened thereto by suitable means, here shown as rivets 6, Fig. 2. rlFhe filler strips referred to may be made of Wood embossed sheet metal or of other suitable material, preferably,

` however, of 'a permeable materlal of fibrous or porous texture. v v

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the 'layers of filler aire shown as discontinuous or as comprising separate strips of wood with spaces 7 between them. 'lFo bind the rim frame and the said pieces of Wood into a solid (piece, I in-l close the same in a coating of mol able material 8, preferably one which is unaffected by extreme ranges of temperature and which at the same time will endure considerable Wear and vibration, such, for'example, as bakelite or condensite, either of which, when molded around said frame and liller strips, effectlvely fills the spacesbetween the said strips and penetrates the poresA in thewood or other porous material so that when -it hardens, the outward appearance of the finished rim is that of a homogeneous massl which may becolored to resemble wood or hard rubber. In Fig. 3, I have illustrated` a modified form of steering Wheel embodying my invention, in which the separatev y strips 5, on each side of the rim frame l Patented irai. er, reir.,

overlap the spaces 7 between said strips on the opposite side, so that-said spaces are arranged in staggered relation.

The present device is designed to meet the demand for a durable steering wheel which may have the appearance of Wood or hard rubber Wheel without the defects of vthese materials. It has been found that hard .rubber has avtendency to crack and break aiway from the frame at low temperatures and has therefore proven to be ill adapted to this particular use in climates where low temperature occurs., It is Well known that neither bakelite nor condensite isthus.. affected. by similarly 10W temperature and either Would'therefore provide-a suitable material for use in some structures Where hard rubber has heretofore been unsuccessfully tried out. But, in the matter of making steering.wheels, the bare substitution of bakelite or condensite for hard rubber is at present commercially impracticable on account of the prohibitive cost of these materials. Thus, to utilize these materials economically, I have devisedthe present structure which provides a cold proof and wear resisting steering Wheel atan expensesubstantially less than that of wheels containing hard rubber. A Wheel constructed in the manner Ahereinabove described' may be made mitting a construction which may combine great strength and elasticity with economy in Weight of the comparatively expensive covering material-' I prefer to form the 'filler -stripsout of materlal having such permeability that the moldablev covering 4me- .dium may readily be made to penetrate the pores thereof under pressure in the mold. It is contemplated, however, that other material besides Wood may be used to form the filler strips and thatv the covering mediums here referred to as'l bakelite or condensite may be replaced by any medium Without departlng from the spirit of my invention. A

I claim as my invention: y

l. A steering Wheel comprising in combination rim supporting means, a core for the rim containing permeable material, and a rim cover of molded plastic material united to said core by entering the said permeable material thereof.- l

2. A steering wheel comprising in combi.- nation with a hub andl rim supporting arms,

suitable coveringl arimcore containing a Wood ller and a Condensite 'cover molded thereon under'pressure.

3.. A steering Wheel comprising in combination with a hub and rim supporting arms, a rim core containing a plurality of pieces of Wood and a cover of plastic material molded thereon under pressure so as to cause said material to permeate said Wood and to be'forced between the pieces of Wood.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 6th day of Aug., 1914.

HENRY S. MORGAN'.l

Witnesses:

MANVEL WHITrEMoRE, JOHN W. THoiPsoN. 

